


Unity

by drunkdragon



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, RWBY
Genre: F/M, Meet-Cute, Qrowin - Freeform, get mad about jelly donuts, i know nothing about pokemon, non-canon pokemon habits, pokemon habits, snowbird
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:55:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25942456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drunkdragon/pseuds/drunkdragon
Summary: A chance meeting brings two trainers together.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Winter Schnee
Comments: 9
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

“Alright, big guy, here’s the deal.”

The pokeball had been shaking around all day and all night. Ever since Qrow returned to the town he once called home, Skarmory had been restless. He turned out to be one of his hardest catches, and perhaps the pokemon he was most proud of. But he wasn’t about to keep him captive - not if he wanted to be free again. So he let him out into the sunlight.

“Whatever’s bothering you, do what you need to do. But there are just two rules.”

So of course Qrow let him out. There was always a bit of a risk when doing so. Not all pokemon loved their new life - even if there were less risks than being in the wild. It required a mutually beneficial partnership. It required trust and a liking of the other. Sometimes, not all of these requirements were met, and the pokemon in question wouldn’t always want to stay.

“Rule number one is that whatever you do, wherever you go, make sure I can follow you. I want to make sure that you’re going to be okay.”

Skarmory was one of his older catches, and while he felt that things had gone pretty well, he wasn’t a mind reader. He might like it here, but maybe he preferred the wild even more.

“And rule number two - if you prefer to be in the wild, well,” he sighed, “I can’t stop you, so just know that I wish you the best of luck, okay?”

Their red eyes met. He blinked first, as if to check if this was real, and then he dashed off. It wasn’t towards the skies, though, but rather to the corner of the building. And right before he could round it, he stopped and looked back at him.

_ Aren’t you coming along? _

He was beckoning Qrow to move forward. Without another second, his body gave into a run, and the chase began.

* * *

“Really, I wish I could speak your language so I could understand you more.”

Winter held the pokeball in her hand, eyes gazing at the button between the red and white halves. Within it was the pokemon she started her journey with, a lone Skarmory. It had cast a single gaze at her and, perhaps in defeat, did nothing when the capture sphere came. From then, she had become a stalwart companion, taking her through the first four gyms and onto her fifth.

But now she had become restless. She first noticed it when she was on the road to Vale as a jostling on her waist. And as they drew closer to the city, it only grew more and more. And while Winter was finally at a place where she could rest up and perhaps get a bite to eat, she felt it was better to try and address the issue.

Walking back into the sunlight and ignoring her hungry stomach, she cast one last glance at her pokeball, which gave another shake in her hand. With a deep breath and ignoring her hunger pangs, she tapped the button. In a flash Skarmory was outside in the sunlight, the beams glistening on its steel feathers.

“I can get some food for us if you’re hungry, but there’s something on your mind, isn’t there?”

She was greeted with a stare, but the eyes that looked back seemed excited, hopeful, something she rarely saw. Skarmory shared in her joys of victory, but Winter always felt like it was incomplete for the pokemon. Perhaps now was the time to see what was happening.

“Well, no need to hold back for my sake. If it bothers you, then it bothers me. Let’s go. Together.”

A blink and then she was off, Winter following in tow.

* * *

The chase itself was intense. The noise of pokemon in the day was hardly unexpected, but each turn seemed to get louder and louder. And then Qrow heard Skarmory cawing into the air. It rang in his ears, each one just a little more intense, as if crying out for something, anything.

But soon, though, he realized that it wasn’t just ringing in his ears. There was a second cry. Skarmory grew still for a moment, and then dashed off again, even faster than before. This time, it rounded a corner and didn’t slow down for him. There was a crash, the screech of what had to be steel against steel, and he feared for the worst.

When he turned to look down the street, however, it was something else entirely. There was a second Skarmory, and for a moment he thought they were fighting. But soon they grew still, eyes closed and blocking the road as if nothing else existed. Their bodies were chest to chest, heads pressed against each other.

A bead of light fell from their eyes and Qrow looked away to the side, as if embarrassed to have seen their joy and catharsis. Still trying to catch his breath, though, he spotted another person, a woman just as breathless as he was.


	2. Chapter 2

As much as they both hated to break them up, relocating was a necessary recourse. Words were of no use, however, and so they were recalled into their pokeballs. Both trainers made haste to a pokecenter, grabbed some food for them and their pokemon, and left for a local park to let their creatures go free and eat.

Winter (he got her name as they called out her order) flicked the last grain of rice from her jelly donut off her finger tips.

“Those two haven’t even touched their food yet.”

All of their other pokemon had gotten enough to eat, and they were milling about and playing with each other, though they weren’t socializing as much with the pokemon from the other trainer. As soon as the Skarmories were released, however, all they did was sit side by side. They lowered themselves to the ground, crossed their necks, and tucked their heads onto the other's wing. Since then their eyes had closed and they hadn't budged.

Skarmories were known to mate for life, and things became a lot more clear for Qrow after he saw how close the two were.

He looked over to Winter. "Can't say I blame them. They probably thought they'd never meet again. I mean, what are the odds of all this happening?"

She remained silent at first, but Qrow could see her thumbing the pokeball on her waist. Finally, she sighed. "I don't think I've ever seen her so happy before."

His lips thinned, "You sound a bit sad."

"Torn," she corrected him. "The proper feeling is torn." She pulled out the pokeball from her waist and eyed it. "She's the strongest pokemon I have and I was hoping to obtain the gym badge here. But…" another breath, "after seeing this, how could I just whisk her away for my own desires?"

So she was a trainer, then. Looking at the rest of her pokemon, he began to name them off. Scizor, Magneton, Excadrill… mostly steel types. Thinking back to her words, though, perhaps this was how he was feeling towards his own Skarmory. Qrow was proud of having it, but it didn’t seem right to keep him on a leash after reuniting with his mate.

He looked at the two resting Skarmories, “Well, do you want to let them go?”

“I think it’s the right thing to do, but…” she shook her head. “Not yet. Not until I get the badge here.”

It was understandable. Journeyers often had a goal in mind, and this was hers. At least there was an air of agreement though - both of them had the same idea. Of course, though, even if they were released someone else could capture them again. Perhaps the plan had to be modified for it to work.

“Well, why don’t you go ahead with your gym routine for now? I’ll try to check in on you afterward. Gives me more time to put some thought into this release thing anyway.”


	3. Chapter 3

His name was Qrow. They formally introduced right before they parted, though he sheepishly admitted to picking up on her name earlier.

“That’s okay - I picked yours too. They call out the orders, after all.”

His full name was Qrow Branwen - it seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite put a face or picture to why. But as she was laying down on the hotel bed (a rare luxury she gave herself as opposed to staying at the provided rooms at the pokecenter), she pushed him from her mind. Grasping the pokeball with Skarmory in it, she glanced at the white button in the center.

She hated that she had to separate the two of them again. What Qrow said made sense - it seemed shameful to let them be apart. But she wanted that gym badge. She owed it to herself to get it after all - she was officially discharged with full honors from the military, and like all youngsters she had hoped to travel the world and see everything through the eyes of a trainer. And now that Winter was free to do it, well, why not? There were no rules that said she couldn’t start at the age of twenty-seven.

But some things were… difficult as a civilian. And she wasn’t eligible to be given a starting pokemon for her journey. Her sister was kind and offered a selection to her, but none of them felt right. None of them felt like they understood her, as silly as it sounded. They were pre-evolved, not yet wise with age, and perhaps that’s what kept them from connecting.

And that was when she took her fateful walk - just a pokeball in hand to a nearby route. Not long into the tall grass and winding paths, she found her - the Skarmory that seemed as misplaced in life as she was.

But now even that connection was beginning to fade away. She had reunited with her mate, and Winter knew that it was only a matter of time before she let her go. Why keep her away from something that would make her truly happy again? Most pokemon exhibited compassion and love for others, after all.

She wasn’t sure if Skarmory could hear her within the walls of the pokeball. Winter, however, believed she didn’t need to hear her to know. “After we take on the gym tomorrow, I’ll let you go. Win or lose, I promise you this.”

Tomorrow night would be a different world. But it felt right, and so she let herself drift into sleep.

She dreamt of uncertainty, of a world where her most reliable pokemon was no longer at her side. When she woke up she was huddled into a curled position.

She found herself wanting to speak with Qrow again. He seemed like he understood her hesitation, after all. But…

How would he find her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably the shortest bit of the 5-parter - the rest will be a bit longer! Though most of them are just a page long anyway lol :S


	4. Chapter 4

It was her fourth badge. Imitating a curved talon, it represented that she had bested the flying types of the local leader and their unusual rule.

"Using your opponent's weaknesses is important - but neither can you prepare for everything. In this particular match, you may not use rock, steel, or electric attacks. It'll be a test of both combat knowledge and endurance."

She had heard rumors that this gym was known for its intense regimen. Its followers could not use the natural weaknesses of an opponent’s pokemon against it, but they weren’t subject to the same benefit. But she could easily see its impact - while there were only a few gym followers, each one seemed like a seasoned veteran. And even when she could strike against a particular weakness, the pokemon always stood back up for one or two more bouts.

When she was finally subject to the rule itself, it was a grueling match. But in the end, the Vale Gym Badge was in her hands.

Winter should have been happy - she was one step closer towards achieving her goal. And yet today she would part with her best pokemon. That would make the upcoming journey even harder.

She sighed. A promise was a promise. But as she stepped outside, all she could do was trace her fingers over that one pokeball, the one with Skarmory in it. Starting at square one, in multiple ways, was a daunting thought.

And then a familiar voice called out to her.

\---

“Nice work back there, Winter. Knew you had it in you to win.”

She was slow to look up at him as he leaned against the gym walls. Winter gave him a long stare, lips thin and mind churning. She didn’t look angry at the least. Maybe she just wasn’t so sure about what to say.

“Qrow. I’m surprised you found me.”

“Well, it was kinda easy,” he picked himself off the wall with a breath. “You said you wanted the gym badge here. Not hard to put myself where you plan to be, right?”

She didn’t respond, and he watched as her hand was still encapsulated around a singular pokeball. “So, you ready to take another look at the idea we had earlier?”

She raised it to the center of her gaze. “I told myself I’d do it, but… I...”

At the end of the day, all she could muster was a heavy sigh, but he understood. “It’s okay if you can’t do it now.”

“Sorry,” Winter blinked a few times. “I feel- I  _ know _ it’s wrong, but she’s…”

“It’s okay.” Qrow gently put a hand on her shoulder. “I get it. She’s special to you.” And for a moment she stiffened, but she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and slowly relaxed again. “Let’s get your pokemon all rested up and grab something to eat for now. At least celebrate your victory for now.”

She looked over to him, blinked once, twice.

“Alright.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just one last chapter after this :3


	5. Chapter 5

The Skarmories were at it again, seated side by side and refusing to budge from the presence of the other. They were at the park once more, their pokemon milling about. And where yesterday they seemed to be polite or a little wary to the pokemon of the other trainer, this time they seemed to be more involved with each other.

At least the Skarmories ate first this time instead of waiting until almost the end.

Winter finished her donut. Ubiquitous across the world, this local version seemed to take a more savory approach, working in meat-based flavors or mayo and shredded fish into the ball of rice. And there was a hint of sourness behind the grains, adding yet another layer of complexity to the simple snack. Not what she was used to, but still quite good. “I didn’t know you used to run the gym here.”

Now if only they had these flavors when she was still in the military. All they had was the plain strawberry flavor, and-

“I haven’t in the last ten years, so I don’t blame you.”

She reached for another one. “What made you stop?”

This time he sighed, looking to the sky, “Well, I uh… I ran it for about thirteen years. Did a pretty good job I think and had a lot of fun.” Then Qrow’s gaze fell to the horizon. “But I felt like I put away a good portion of my life behind those four walls. Wanted to see something different. And so I quit, let another person take the reign.”

“Making the decision to leave those walls behind was the hardest, though. You get used to the benefits and perks. Pays well, too, and you even get a small commission for each trainer you beat in a sanctioned gym match. Then once you make the announcement, everyone you run into asks why and says ‘Oh, but you were doing it for so long’. I was the face of the gym, and no one wanted me to leave. Hell, I started that whole weakness thing, and it’s been a bit of a motto for Vale ever since.”

He took another breath. “It was scary - but it was all in my head. Once I let it all go, I realized I could do whatever I wanted, even though I was past my mid-thirties.” And then he chuckled. “Sorry, didn’t mean to dump all that on you. And no, that wasn’t supposed to try and get you to let go of your Skarmory. It’ll happen when you’re ready, you know?”

She nodded and took another bite, keeping silent. As she slowly chewed, though, Winter’s mind was churning. Would she ever be able to let her go? She had promised last night, and look at her now - still unable to honor her word.

“Well, I suppose there is another option, if you’re up for it.

“And that is?”

“Well, we both agree that it would be best to allow these to be together. But I just happened to be in town for a brief stop over to see some family. I was thinking about my next trip. What do you say we travel around for a while?”

A traveling companion wasn’t something Winter had thought of. Her journey had often been one of solitude with her pokemon, maybe sharing a campfire for a night with other journeyers for safety. But a more permanent one?

Well, he was likeable enough so far, so why not, right?

“... Maybe that was a little forward. But, in case that seems-”

“I think… I think I would like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Like what you see? Want more Qrowin/Snowbird? Then consider joining the discord!
> 
> https://discord.gg/AEcUjgP


End file.
